Newsletters

May 23, 2013

And those oceans were clean, blue and teeming with life. We swam in them, we splashed in them, we sailed, kayaked and cruised on them and we fished from them. We delighted in watching otters and sea lions play in them and stood breathless if we were blessed enough to actually see a magnificent whale breach. Dolphins…

May 8, 2013

But first things first. Happy Mother’s Day to every mother, mother-to-be, future mother, anyone who came from a mother on the planet, and a very special shout out to Mother Earth. Hope you will make it a great GREEN Mother’s Day.

April 25, 2013

(Three Universal Challenges)

As much as I would like to make this newsletter all about how beautiful Yakutat, Alaska is and how wonderful my participation in the Energy Summit has been, I won’t ask you to indulge me. Facebook took…

April 12, 2013

(Green Hearts of Course!)

Okay, I admit it. There are days when I wish I had the influence of Oprah. And it’s not what you think. It’s really not about me but about spreading the word about the myriad of wonderful, amazing, game changing people I meet and their causes. The more…

March 28, 2013

(The Power of Choice)

Every time you make a purchase, you are making a choice. The choice is OURS! We have the power to strengthen and enrich our communities. It’s that…

March 14, 2013

As I write this I am looking out the window of a beautiful cabin. The elevation is about 8200 feet, we are surrounded by big ponderosa pine trees, there is snow on the ground and my grandkids, my husband and I just spent most of the morning reading – in The Big Quiet. We are in a magical place called Greer, Arizona – a place where I come to feed my soul…

February 28, 2013

(Mrs. Green Has NOT Come Undone)
Did you know that when a baby is born they show up on the planet with anywhere from 260-270 identifiable toxins in their urine? Yup – 260-270. That is why yesterday I could not, for the very life of me, write this newsletter. After attempts too numerous…

February 13, 2013

(For those who believe magic) “Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl. This newsletter is about the magic of the Mrs. Green journey. It’s about the magic of dreaming a dream and finding out that believing in the power of your dream works. It’s personal and very sincere. It’s about sustainability for your soul. So if you believe in magic and are in the market for some soul food, I invite you to read on so I can share this ride with you.

January 31, 2013

In the past two weeks, I have read or re-read what I call some real green shockers – the kind of statements that make your head spin or make you shake your head in disbelief. And, yes, at times even make you a little sick or angry or taken advantage of. How could I not share them with you?

January 17, 2013

This newsletter is about some of my very recent observations of the pebble in the pond and how amazing it is at times to observe the green ripple effect, the power of one, about taking action and what results from a single decision. So in no particular order – here goes…

January 4, 2013

(or at least I hope so)

lol*la*pa*loo*za [lol-uh-puh-loo-zuh] noun, Slang. an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. I don’t usually fret over writing the newsletter but…

December 20, 2012

Needless to say, when I sat down to write my newsletter, none of the topics I had considered seemed appropriate after the events of December 14th. As much as I believe in sharing important information on how to live a more sustainable life, all I can pretty much think about is the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is…

December 5, 2012

(It’s Not What You Think) I don’t know about you but no matter how hard I try, Christmas/the holidays seem to sneak up on me. More than the normal “too many things on the list not enough hours in a day” busy – right? So what better gift can I give to you than a REALLY short newsletter? Read on for three green holiday quickie reminders.

November 23, 2012

One BIG Way to Green Your Holiday Shopping

After writing 125 newsletters over the past four and a half years, it blows my mind that the ideas keep coming. As we all know, there really aren’t many (if any) new ideas. There are just an infinite number of creative ways to present them.

November 8, 2012

I could not write a newsletter on this day without sending love, support, thoughts and prayers to the millions of people whose lives have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy. I am a Jersey girl so I was feeling the pain from afar as the news rolled in.

October 25, 2012

(The Real Green Angry Moms that Is)

I know I am dating myself referencing that OLD song by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (we’re talking 1968 here – yikes!) but when I interviewed Amy Kalafa (filmmaker of Two Angry Moms) on my…

October 11, 2012

(Three Humorous Thoughts from Mrs. Green)

I just couldn’t write the regular old “how to green your Halloween” newsletter because a) it felt too cliché and b) if you really want to green your Halloween, just Google it! Lots of great…

September 27, 2012

(On cleaning, fracking & doing)

My challenge in writing this newsletter is not an uncommon one for me – too many exciting topics, not enough attention span. If I don’t like reading long newsletters, how can I expect you to? So I decided…

September 13, 2012

It comes as no surprise that we here in Mrs. Green’s World really do like to spread the good, green word about all news green and beautiful going on in the world. And we also like to share good news with you about what’s going on in OUR world because you are a part of our community in every sense of the word. And so we shall for this issue. No rants, no great green tips, just some wonderful green news.

August 30, 2012

You might think this is a cop out, an excuse for not writing my own newsletter. Cross my heart, pinky swear, it is not. When I received this following newsletter re: shameful ingredients in the products we buy from Environmental Working Group’s President Ken Cook, I immediately said “Note to self – share with Mrs. Green’s tribe because…

August 16, 2012

Here I go again defying all the “how to get the most opens with your newsletter title” rules. I am just not a good rule follower. Never have been, not much hope of becoming one any time soon.

So why am I blue? And what does it have to do with sustainability? Eco-friendly? Preservation of the Planet? To me, everything. And I am not afraid to share what’s going on inside of me as I write this.

August 2, 2012

(But it’s not too late)

I am clearly, proudly a self-proclaimed Drama Queen. Not only that, I think the world would be very boring without us. So what’s a Drama Queen to do when it comes to something so serious, so dramatic, so on-purpose and important that I’ve got to get your attention and ask you to read on? I guess I simply ask you to trust me, read this, and then think for yourself. When it comes to fracking and our planet, my emotions almost overwhelm me.

July 19, 2012

If you regularly open my newsletter, it won’t surprise you that I love writing it. I have broken the rules of social media on this one, and this is more about me than it is you. But I felt strongly that I had to share it.

July 5, 2012

(Okay, so two of them are true)

Mrs. Green request: I tried to make this newsletter short because it’s summer and hot almost everywhere and people are cranky. All things considered, I still ask that you read (or at least scan) the whole thing because…

June 21, 2012

As I have said before, I seem to have an infinite number of topics to write about every other week when newsletter time comes around. Is Green Whirling Dervish Brain an official diagnosis? What popped up most for me for this newsletter is PLAY and how important it is to remember that sustainability is an inside job.

June 7, 2012

If you have been subscribing to my newsletter for a while, it’s pretty clear I like to weave a thread that we can all take small steps to change things in our lives and collectively make a big green difference. Hope, possibility, and change are words I like to live with and repeat in my writing and speaking.

May 23, 2012

You might remember that I promised to make this newsletter a fun, informative upbeat one. And it’s not a novella, there’s not a single rant and there are some good reminders.

May 9, 2012

People seem to be asking me more and more lately about how I came to be Mrs. Green. It makes me think about this journey of mine and wonder how in the heck DID I become Mrs. Green. When I read an article about endocrine disruptors and then a blog about the article last week, I knew While We Were Sleeping – Part Two was a done deal. One small request? Don’t think of this as bad news. It’s not intended as such.

April 25, 2012

In one of the Harry Potter movies there is a telegram delivered to Ron Weasley (from his Mom) that actually screams at him when he opens it. I admit to wishing that I could incorporate something similar albeit a quieter version to those opening my newsletter – a real attention grabber.

April 16, 2012

See entire April 11, 2012 newsletter including upcoming radio show guests Two issues really set me off in the past two weeks: one was all of the publicity and controversy about pink slime in our beef and the other was all the hoopla about BPA in plastics. My series of reactions to both were predictable [...]

March 29, 2012

It sounds really weird but I wake up pretty much every morning with green/sustainable thoughts and ideas to put on Facebook, tweet about, write a blog about, an idea for a show guest, another chapter I think I should add to my book. After close to four years, one might think I would be running out of ideas.

March 15, 2012

Very hard to believe that the tsunami was only one year ago. On the one hand, we can honestly say that for most of us, life has gone on. It is sad but very true. The daily reminders are “over there.”

March 1, 2012

I went to 12 years of Catholic school and actually loved it, learned how to spell and have mostly great memories. Cross my heart. I don’t feel quite right blaming “them” for my guilt cup continuously running over but just rest assured that on any given day, I have something(s) I am feeling guilty about. I am constantly running the “I’m not eating enough locally sourced food, I am not exercising enough, I need to move my life to a greener level, I need to call my friend fill-in-the-blank, I need to install solar, I need to start a garden, we should have a chicken coop” tapes. Not very sustainable.

February 15, 2012

This might be the most out there newsletter yet but I know there are lots of you who will stay with me for the long haul. I am what I am.

February 1, 2012

(Update to the Rant of November 9, 2011)

In my November 8th newsletter, I wrote about my confusion, frustration and yes – even a bit of anger regarding proposed changes in our national school lunch program. I wrote that it upset me that an eighth-cup of tomato paste counted as a vegetable and also that the farm states were spending…

January 19, 2012

What can I say? These things just pop into my head. This one did because I wanted to write about some green, healthy refreshers early in the New Year. Buying/eating organic eggs and what we put on our bodies came immediately to mind – thus green eggs & hair.

January 4, 2012

As I was driving back from our wonderful holiday trip this past Monday, I was thinking quite a bit about the newsletter. I said to myself “this first one for 2012 really has to be a big WOW!” And then I thought some more. This newsletter has to be just like all the rest of them – written authentically from my very green heart. I have never written for a wow. I just write, and the thoughts just keep on coming.

December 21, 2011

Try as I might, I just couldn’t wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and leave it at that. I can, however, promise this will be short because we are all busy spending time with family and friends or getting ready to.

December 9, 2011

See entire December 7, 2011  newsletter including radio guest schedule and videos Mrs. Green’s Anniversary When I mentioned to someone the other day that this will be my 100th newsletter, they said “that is a really big deal.” At some level, it is. On top of that, the actual day I am writing this is [...]

November 23, 2011

I went back and forth about how to start this newsletter. Giving thanks? Thoughts on making your Black Friday green? Amazing feedback from the last newsletter? Giving thanks won but I’ve covered them all.

November 9, 2011

WARNING: The contents of this newsletter may be hazardous to your mental health. It took me hours to write because I am honestly and truly in a total stupor and an agitated state about the entire subject. It’s about our children and their health and welfare. It’s about setting aside greed and profits and asking the village to raise the children. At the end of the day, I have to ask myself are we the people or are we the sheeple?

October 26, 2011

Fall has actually begun to show its beautiful face here in our city. It feels great. And for some sick, strange reason, every change of season makes me want to shop. Stay with me.

October 12, 2011

At the risk of sounding melodramatic (something of which I am very capable), there are times when I want things to change so much and so quickly it hurts. And, yes, even makes me cry. So why not read on and join me on a trip to Green Oz? I’m Dorothy with green glittery shoes made from recycled material and I’m in charge of the control panel.

What life would look like in Green Oz…

September 28, 2011

Every once in a while, I just have to do the green smorgasbord thing. Green brain overload or something like that. First part of this newsletter is an update to report on myself about what I ought to be doing. Second part talks about “clear as mud” issues to me and questions I don’t believe I quite have acceptable answers to. So please stay here with me and I will do my best to download.

September 14, 2011

See entire September 14, 2011 newsletter I admit I can’t quote too much poetry. I love to read it (sustains my soul) but only short, meaningful lines seem to stick with me, if that. I love the Persian poet Rumi because he has lots of two liners. My favorite: “Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and [...]

August 31, 2011

I hope everyone who has been reading my last two newsletters (highlighting the first and second “Rs” – reduce and reuse) understands that it is not my intention to give recycling a bad rap. It is so very important and we are UBER recyclers. Case in point, I sneak things of out of people’s trash at parties and Mr. Green and I have been known to stop and pick up plastic and aluminum cans when we are on country roads.

August 17, 2011

It just made sense to me that if I wrote about the importance of remembering the first “R” and some tips, why not do a quick “re-fresher” for all of us about the second one – Reuse. The reduce part came easily. When I took a serious inventory of what we honestly reuse around here, the list came up shorter. Could that be because we are taking the reduce part so seriously? Maybe I am on to something.

August 3, 2011

I admit that I get frustrated sometimes when people make a point of telling me they recycle. I don’t want to but I do. So I take a deep breath, praise them, as recycling truly is a GREAT thing, and then try to gently slip in: don’t forget – the first “R” is reduce.

July 20, 2011

As promised and as reminded by so many of you, here is the information about what to look for in a GOOD sunscreen and just some general tips for minimizing your exposure to the sun. I honestly cannot thank all of you enough for your thoughtful comments and feedback.

July 6, 2011

Given all the emails and Facebook posts I received about my last newsletter (asking for the GOOD sunscreens too), I should probably be writing about that. But I just can’t because I have to write about our family cabin burning down several weeks ago and about how it’s all connected for me/Mrs. Green. Prepare for some pretty personal sharing if you are so inclined to continue reading.

June 22, 2011

My 30 year old daughter Katie is outrageously funny at times. She says things that sometimes give people pause but laughter usually follows. Hard to get just the right flavor to this one but when something disgusts her, she says “Eeeewwww. Vom.com.”

June 8, 2011

Three years ago, I guarantee you, I had no earthly idea what fracking was. I doubt that I even knew there was such a word and if I had heard it, I probably thought someone was substituting it for profanity.

May 25, 2011

I frequently find that people want simple answers to complex questions – especially as it relates to sustainable solutions and sustainability in general. For the most part – the answers are just not that simple and it’s usually about making a “greener” choice.

May 11, 2011

When I was young (and I was young once – seriously) we used to have an expression “accidentally on purpose.” It seemed to fit some situations quite well back in the day.

April 27, 2011

We have gotten so many great responses to the survey that went out asking you to share your thoughts about Mrs. Green’s World – what’s working, what’s not, and what you would like to know more about.

April 13, 2011

I have said many, many times that I really don’t want to tell people what to think – I just want them to think. I started writing this newsletter doing a Mrs. Green report card for Earth Month but it was boring to me so go figure how boring it might have been to you.

March 30, 2011

One should probably not start a newsletter spouting off about how annoyed one (that be me) is about a certain “green” topic. But I am annoyed and writing about it will help me get it off my chest.

March 16, 2011

I walked into a building the other night for an art exhibit and my husband turned to me and said “If I were you, I would turn around and leave right this minute.” It was the paint.

March 3, 2011

Besides being a wonderful human being, my friend Barbara Eiswerth posted something on my Facebook page this weekend that really gave me pause and made me stop to think about the first “R” – reduce

February 16, 2011

So much to write about, so little time – as in sometimes I think time is running out.

February 2, 2011

Okay, so I admit it’s a stretch but you can’t blame me for trying. The real question is: How green will your Super Bowl party be? I know what the big dogs are doing (read below) but I could shed a few tears when I think about the collective waste from the millions of smaller parties planned for Super Bowl XLV.

January 19, 2011

Needless to say, I feel compelled to dedicate this newsletter to all of the people whose lives were touched by the events of Saturday, January 8th.

January 7, 2011

You Are What You Drink – Seriously. As I have shared with you before, once I hit the send button on the newsletter, I start thinking about content for the next one. And it seems as though the perfect topic appears each and every time. Here we go…..

December 25, 2010

Did I really write that? Is this REALLY Mrs. Green’s last newsletter for 2010? Don’t think I need to even ask any of you where the year went because you are all shaking your heads as well.

December 10, 2010

Chances are if you are one of the people who need to read this, you probably won’t because you are tooooo busy! (Me? I would be one of the guilty ones but I am the author trying to practice what I share – not preach.)

November 25, 2010

Anyone who is a part of Mrs. Green’s world already knows that green is my new black. So allow me to give one big huge pitch for making your black Friday as green as possible.

November 12, 2010

I have come to the conclusion that there aren’t very many areas in our lives where it doesn’t make sense to stop, think, and then make the most sustainable choice possible when making a purchase.

October 29, 2010

Not to worry – this won’t be a long, sentimental trip down memory lane. But as the third anniversary of Mrs. Green’s debut draws near, there have been pivotal moments. This section of the newsletter is one third reflection/one third humorous reminder/one third serious reminder.

October 18, 2010

Last newsletter I simply asked people to put on their “green thinking caps” as a general way of life. Thank you, Phillip Greene, for your thoughtful response. Clearly, the issue about which I get challenged the most is my stand on genetically modified foods – lovingly referred to as GMOs. I posted a blog with Phillip’s response and invite you to check out his opinion on this very important subject. Important because we are what we eat. (So I am a dark chocolate bar?)

October 1, 2010

I am not sure but I think my brain is doing a total shift to thinking in the color green. I’m glad I like the color.

This newsletter is really about thinking and questioning and, from where I sit, just being logical. Case in point: genetically engineered salmon. When you think about it, does it sound like a good thing to you?

September 17, 2010

I really hope I can make the point of this newsletter work and connect all the green synapses. Green “whirling dervish” brain working overtime on this one.

September 3, 2010

Some of you may be old enough to remember the commercial “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” My belief has always been if you don’t listen to what God has to say, He just talks louder. I think He may be screaming. We are not being nice to Mother Nature and all of God’s creatures – especially the chickens.

August 20, 2010

I think the world may truly be suffering from a new acute condition called green schizophrenia. People want green/they don’t want green.

August 6, 2010

This newsletter is all about fun. I have to write about the joys of sharing our nature experiences with my grandchildren, Madison, age 10 and Liam, age 6.

July 23, 2010

Few things make me happier than being the voice of green – most of the time. When I read an article recently about a comprehensive study that found dangerous levels of lead in kids’ juices and snacks, I knew I had to share it and I felt like Kermit – sometimes it’s just not easy being green.

July 9, 2010

Don’t worry. I have not come undone and I know that it’s not holiday time. Green holiday giving tips will be here soon enough. This is about Goodwill and true sustainability and the real deal on the circle of life.

June 26, 2010

I never worry about content for this newsletter. So indulge me as I write, again, on one of my favorite topics: plastic bottles.

June 13, 2010

I am not phobic about most things but the entire millions of germs on the toothbrush discussion kind of freaks me out.

May 30, 2010

No shock to anyone that Mrs. Green would write about the oil spill. How could I not? Have no fear — I am not interested in playing the blame game.

May 14, 2010

In keeping with my merry month of May theme of REDUCE as the first “R” – I invite you to consider reducing the amount of pesticides you eat on a daily basis.

April 30, 2010

My theme for the merry month of May is REDUCE – the first R! Let’s give some more stuff up and remind ourselves that there is only ONE planet.

April 16, 2010

Permit me to start with the blurbs – bullet style!

April 2, 2010

Upon reflection, I had to honestly ask myself where I was for the first 35-36 years since Earth Day was founded